USCIRF claims religious freedom continued to deteriorate in India, MEA rejects it as 'biased charact
New York (PTI): A US federal government commission has flagged the alleged worsening of religious freedom in India and called for linking Washington's future security assistance and bilateral trade to improvements in New Delhi's record on the issue.
India on Monday categorically rejected the "motivated and biased characterisation" of the country in the 2026 Annual Report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
In its report, the USCIRF also asked that "targeted sanctions" be imposed on individuals and entities, such as the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for their “responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States."
The report said that future US security assistance and bilateral trade policies with India be linked to improvements in religious freedom.
"We have taken note of the latest report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterisation of India," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
For several years now, USCIRF has persisted in presenting a "distorted and selective picture of India, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts," he said, adding that such repeated misrepresentations only undermine the credibility of the Commission itself.
"Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the US, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US, which merit serious attention," Jaiswal added.
The USCIRF report recommended to the US Government that India be designated as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations".
The report said that in 2025, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate as the government introduced and enforced new legislation targeting religious minority communities and their houses of worship.
“Several states undertook efforts to introduce or strengthen anti-conversion laws to include harsher prison sentences. Indian authorities also facilitated widespread detention and illegal expulsion of citizens and religious refugees and tolerated vigilante attacks against religious minority communities,” it said.
The report also noted the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack against tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. On the attack, the report said, “three gunmen” attacked a group of “predominantly Hindu tourists in the Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir”, killing 26 people.
“The perpetrators reportedly asked the victims to recite the Kalma, an Islamic verse, and killed those who were unable to do so. The attack sparked a five-day conflict between India and Pakistan and intensified anti-Muslim sentiment in India, including targeted attacks,” it said.
The terror attack was carried out by the Resistance Front, a front for Pakistan-based terror organisation, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.
USCIRF said the US Congress should reintroduce and pass the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 to “require the annual reporting of acts of transnational repression by the Indian government targeting religious minorities in the United States.”
In a statement, USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said, "China arrests underground church members, mob violence is on the rise in India and Pakistan leading to attacks on religious minorities and the destruction of their homes, Burma’s military bombs houses of worship, and Tajikistan denies parents the right to teach their children about faith.”
“As USCIRF’s Annual Report shows, far too many people in key nations are denied religious freedom through unjust laws, discrimination, harassment, violence, and even crimes against humanity. The US government must continue to advance religious freedom abroad to make a difference for those facing religious persecution.”
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan US federal government agency. It makes policy recommendations to the US President, Secretary of State, and Congress and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
T20 WC star Samson named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March
_vb_32.jpeg)
Dubai (PTI): India opener Sanju Samson was on Tuesday named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March, capping a stellar run that saw him play a defining role in the team's triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.
Samson did not get to play in the early part of the tournament but was the standout performer in the big games towards the end and helped India retain the title.
His latest honour also extends a unique streak, with players from different countries winning the award over the past five months including South Africa's Simon Harmer, Australia's Mitchell Starc, New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell and Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan.
"Winning the ICC Player of the Month award is an incredible feeling, especially as it comes during what has been the most unforgettable phase of my cricketing journey. Playing a part in India's triumph at the Men's T20 World Cup was truly a dream realised, and it took some time for the magnitude of that moment to fully sink in," Samson said.
"This is an exciting era for Indian cricket, with immense talent across the board. I feel grateful for the opportunities I've received, and for the trust and support from my team-mates and coaching staff that have allowed me to perform at my best."
Not a regular part of the playing XI in the initial stages of the tournament, Samson was eventually called up for India's must-win Super 8 fixtures. After starting off with 24 against Zimbabwe, he picked form and didn't look back.
The opener missed out on a century against the West Indies by just three runs, but his attacking 97 not out set up India's spot in the semifinal.
A blistering 89 against England at the Wankhede helped India to 253 for 7, and the target proved elusive for the English who missed out by seven runs on March 5.
An equally amazing 89 was churned out during India's successful title defence in Ahmedabad, securing a 96-run win.
In the three crucial T20Is he was a part of in March, Samson notched up 275 runs at an astonishing average of 137.50 and a stunning strike rate of 199.27.
This is the first time that Samson has secured an ICC Men's Player of the Month honour.
New Zealand captain Melie Kerr won the women's honour for the third time, after an outstanding series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Taking over the white-ball teams from Sophie Devine, Kerr's captaincy seemed to have brought out the best in her with both the ball and the bat. In the Zimbabwe ODI series, she managed to snap 16 wickets in just three matches, including her career-best figures of 7/34.
Additionally, she also contributed with the bat, being the third highest run-scorer in the ODIs, scoring 140 runs across three games with an average of 46.67 in the counting month.
_vb_25.jpeg)
_vb_63.jpeg)
_vb_77.jpeg)